Beer Calendar: Fresh Peaches, Fresh Lagers and the Fresh Hop Festival

Aspen Brewing will be forced to close its downtown Aspen taproom at the end of this month after the developer who owns the building made plans to lease it to another tenant. But the brewery, which actually produces its beer at a different facility in the Aspen Airport Business Center, will continue making beer, and co-owner Duncan Clauss says he plans to reopen in a new location sometime before the end of the year.

Founded in 2008, Aspen Brewing recently began packaging and distributing its beer in Colorado again after a six-month hiatus. It also distributes in several other states and foreign countries.

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Keep reading for the best local craft-beer events and tappings through October 21.

Wednesday, October 11 For October, Copper Kettle Brewing will tap a new pumpkin-beer firkin every Wednesday at 2 p.m. Today's beer is Pumpkin Oktoberfest, which is the brewery's traditional Oktoberfest with added pumpkin flavor and spices.

Thursday, October 12 Free beer alert! Renegade Brewing will bring back its original Russian Imperial Stout, but with a new look and a new name. Hammer Imperial Stout (originally known as Hammer & Sickle) returns after a two-year hiatus and is now available in six-packs. Starting at 5 p.m., if you buy a ten-ounce pour, you'll get a free six-pack and you can keep the commemorative glass. The free beer won’t last long, however, so get down to the taproom early.

Friday, October 13 On a recent trip to Palisade, the brewers at Factotum Brewhouse left "the fruitful valley with a copious amount of juicy, fresh peaches handpicked from Whistlestop Shop," the brewery says. So, they created a small-batch wit beer that goes on tap at 3 p.m. Last year's tapping only lasted five hours.

Bierstadt Lagerhaus

Saturday, October 14 On the second Saturday of each month, Bierstadt Lagerhaus fills its fässer (a wooden barrel) with one of its keller lagers directly from the lager tank. The unfiltered lager changes each month depending on what brewers Bill and Ashleigh think is tasting particularly good. This time, get a sneak peak of their upcoming Doppelbock.

Wednesday, October 18 There is still some GABF goodness hanging around Denver, despite the fact that the festival ended more than a week ago. An example: First Draft Taproom & Kitchen will tap a bunch of brews from San Diego's Modern Times at 5 p.m. The beers are: Blazing World, Critical Band, Orderville, Spaceship Earth and Transit of Venus.

October is pumpkin-firkin month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which means a new pumpkin beer each Wednesday. Today's is a crisp saison paired with pumpkin and spices.

Thursday, October 19 Seven breweries will tap their unique herb or spice beers as part of the fourth round of the Makin' Noise: A Pussy Riot Beer project. Founded late last year, the project involves multiple breweries who make similar beers and then raise money for progressive charities by selling pints; $1 from each pint goes the brewery's charity of choice. Here is the rundown on Makin' Noise V. 4. Comrade Brewing, donating to One Colorado, will tap a blonde ale brewed with fresh jalapenos and lime zest at noon. Goldspot, giving to Groundwork Denver, taps at 3 p.m. Westbound & Down in Idaho Springs, donating to Project Worthmore, opens at 11 a.m. Cerberus Brewing in Colorado Springs, also open at 11, is giving to the Palmer Land Trust. 3 Freaks Brewing in Highlands Ranch, is donating to Sense of Security. Lakewood's Caution Brewing, open at 3 p.m., is supporting Energy Outreach Colorado. And Woods Boss Brewing, donating to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, taps at 5 p.m.

Saturday, October 21 The Intrepid Sojourner Brewing Project's 9.3 percent ABV Peach Hickory Wee Heavy was one of the standout beers from the recent Beers Made By Walking Festival. A mashup of the the brewery owners' Indiana roots and Colorado culture, "this beer fuses the caramel and marshmallow notes of roasted hickory bark with the sweet and smoky flavor of roasted, smoked peaches," the brewery says. "Partially caramelized by hot stones, this beer is a fruit tree in liquid form." It will be paired today with pastries and pie.

Celebrate twelve years of Dry Dock Brewing with music, food, unlimited pours of more than thirty beers, including rare and specialty brews (available today only) like vintage barrel-aged offerings from Dry Dock's Signature Series and sour program, a three-year vertical tasting of Bligh’s Barleywine, revisited classics such as Whaletail Wit, Cool Lime Lager, Swordfish Extra Pale Ale, and crowd-favorite firkins. Attendees will also have exclusive access to purchase specialty bottles during the brewery's Anniversary Cellar Sale.

River North Brewery's Nightmare Fuel is back, "just in time to haunt your dreams." Come get spooky, starting at noon, when it hosts a Halloween party in honor of the release of this year's version of Nightmare Fuel imperial coffee stout and Barrel-Aged Nightmare Fuel. "Loaded with more than three pounds per barrel of freshly roasted whole-bean coffee from Logan House Coffee Company," both beers will be available in bottles and on draft. The brewery will also have a costume contest with prizes; there will be food from RagBag Mobile Bistro.

Living the Dream Brewing in Littleton hosts a celebration of craft beer in the southern suburbs (and a fundraiser for the Denver Dumb Friends League) from 2 to 9 p.m. The South In Your Mouth Jubilee features Living The Dream, 105 West, Locavore, Lone Tree Brewing, Resolute, Grist, Blue Spruce, and Pikes Peak Brewing. All participating breweries will puor a special beer for the event. ?There will be a? brewery calendar ?for sale ?to help support Denver Dumb Friends League Buddy Center in Castle Rock.?

Death By Coconut is back at Oskar Blues, and the brewery's Tasty Weasel Taproom is toasting the seasonal beer with the Tasty-est, Chocolatey-est Release Party, starting at noon. There will be live music from The Delta Sonics at 4:30, beer-infused food from the original Oskar Blues Grill and Brew in Lyons and some chocolate activities from Cholaca, the company that supplies the brewery with the liquid chocolate that is used in the beer.

Thursday, October 26 Falling Rock Tap House is holding an event at 5:30 p.m. called Kill the Cancer, where it it will tap Heather's Ale, which was brewed by Strange Craft to support the American Cancer Society. Falling Rock will also tap Orange Creamsicle by Barels & Bottles Brewery to support the National Kidney Foundation, Pink Peppercorn Saison by Chain Reaction Brewing for Wings of Hope, and Petal to the Metal by Black Sky Brewery for Sense of Security— to name a few. The organizations will be onsite and there will be a bonus for the keg that blows first.

Saturday, October 28 Ursula Brewery goes old-school at noon when it brings back bottles of Imperial Crustless, a stronger, more peanut butter and jelly-ly version of its regular Crustless PB&J Porter — along with with some draft-only variants. The beer "starts with that big raspberry and nutty nose and the flavor does more of the same but adds that toasty, roasty, bready porter that makes this beer so special to us all.," Ursula says. "We came in less sweet from what last year, but we like the balance it creates between the peanut butter and the raspberry." The 22-ounce bottles are $16 each (with a limit of two per person). As for the variants, there is Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam Imperial Crustless; Peanut Butter and Orange Marmalade Imperial Crustless; Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Imperial Crustless; and Almond Butter and Raspberry Jam Imperial Crustless. The brewery will offer the variants as four-ounce flights and ten-ounce draft pours only. There is only one keg of each.

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Join Copper Kettle Brewing as it celebrates National Chocolate Day from 3 to 5 p.m. with a four-course beer-and-chocolate pairing and the tapping of Orange Mexican Chocolate Stout, which was made with fresh-squeezed orange juice and zest. Head brewer Phil Natalie will present each beer and walking participants through the flavors and how they were chosen for each chocolate. The chocolates are provided by Cacao Chemistry, and the pairings are: Citrus Paradisi with Candied Milk Chocolate Orange Peel; Black Currant Milk Stout with Cabernet Caramel Truffle; Coconut Snowed In with Extra Dark Bark; and Orange Mexican Chocolate Stout with Firework Bark. Tickets, $15, are limited to the first forty and are available at eventgrid.com.

"Plan your Halloween pregame around the 3rd Annual Tennyson St. Fall Rumpus & Fundraiser," says Call To Arms Brewing, which will host the fiesta from noon to 9 p.m. The family-friendly event includes: the Confection Collection doughnut pop-up for kids and adults; Morgan Handmade Rations, showcasing locally-made potato chips; J Street Food Truck; MAS KAOS Pizzeria + Taqueria; music from Midnight Shakedown from 4 to 7 p.m.; bags of candy for the little ones; and lots of beer. No tickets are needed. The Rumpus serves as a fundraiser for Drink For Pink, a breast cancer awareness group.

Epic Brewing is hosting an Intergalactic Kegger starting at 8 p.m. "Wear your best black light attire because the night is gonna glow and the beer is gonna flow," the brewery says. There will be black lights and glowing decor to set the mood; DJ Digg spinning tracks; beer on 25 taps plus two special firkins (served in glowing solo cups).

Odd13 Brewing releases cans of Seventh Son of a Thirteenth Son, which the Lafayette brewery made in collaboration with Seventh Son Brewing out of Columbus, Ohio. This super hazy, New England-style double IPA is hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Denali and Galaxy; cans will only be sold in the taproom. "We are super excited about this beer and it's been tasting fantastic out of the fermenter," Odd13 says. It is $12 per four-pack.

Jonathan Shikes is a Denver native who writes about business and beer for Westword.